The sanitation revolution has done more to save lives and improve health than any public health intervention in the past 200 years. But the flush toilet has only reached one-third of the world’s population. Clearly, we need to encourage new ideas and new approaches to accelerate safe and affordable access to sanitation for everyone. — gatesfoundation.org
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the launch of a strategy to help bring safe, clean sanitation services to millions of poor people in the developing world. The foundation also announced $42 million in new sanitation grants that aim to spur innovations in the capture and storage... View full entry
Archinect's Building of the Week series is brought to you by our friends at OpenBuildings.com, the web's most comprehensive directory of buildings. Acoustic clarity and precision were governing principles for the design of this recital space and outdoor stage for the Masters Program in music at... View full entry
Based upon the woman's story and Moulin's research, Mabon and Hayes constructed a film-style set for the chronic déjà vu sufferer, complete with marks on the floors, visual instructions and specially-designed objects.
They also created a very detailed schedule to give a feeling of continuity and help the woman go through the day with as few surprises (hence risks of déjà vu) as possible.
— we-make-money-not-art.com
Steven Holl's Sifang Art Museum will be opening in Nanjing, China, in November of this year. In the mean time they have launched a pretty site with some nice alternating photographs of the building. Check it out. View full entry
The world’s largest data center sits in Gothic revival splendor just a couple of miles south of Chicago’s downtown Loop in a former R. R. Donnelly printing plant. I happened to walk past the center a year ago and was impressed by the scale of the building and the serenity of the setting... — blogs.forbes.com
[Via Mozy] View full entry
There’s nothing sillier than an M.F.A. What does it mean? Did you learn anything? No. To be a master you have to learn languages and you have to have these things. Nobody gets them. I don’t think the art form is so complicated that you need a college course in order to read it. — Paris Review
Paris Review's Thessaly La Force visits and talks to one of art world's giants Lawrence Weiner in his LOT-EK designed and installed live-work studio in New York. They talk about the neighborhood, art, and why he doesn't eat lunch but loves the cocktail parties. View full entry
"The Dodge House in West Hollywood was considered one of the most architecturally significant American houses of the 20th century. Designed in 1914 and completed in 1916, the masterwork by architect Irving Gill made a profound break from the traditional pitched-roof, symmetrical house design ... — By Jeffrey Head, Special to the Los Angeles Times
... Gill had the radical notion to elevate reinforced concrete to the "architectural importance of stone," but perhaps more important than the house's form — a horizontal box lacking roof overhangs, surface details or other ornaments — was a revolutionary vision of what a modern... View full entry
The AIA received nearly 30 submissions for the AIA Barbie® Dream House™ Design Competition. The AIA and its panel of jurors have selected their finalists, with input from Mattel’s own team of Barbie® experts. Now it’s your turn to help select the winning design. — info.aia.org
Whereas journalism provides a view on the world, as it 'really' is, art often presents a view on the view, as an act of reflection.
The first part of the exhibition title, All that Fits, points directly to the New York Times' moto "All the News That's Fit to Print." It asks us to think about what becomes of the information that doesn't fit into the format or the agenda of a media outlet.
— we-make-money-not-art.com
Post Post is a new online project focused on exploring the dialog of relational contexts within architectural projects and practices. By extending the lens beyond the individual scope of projects, Post Post seeks to illuminate the interwoven and complex relationships of congruous... View full entry
We just got off the phone with director/artist Julian Schnabel (”Basquiat,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), who is currently doing press for the Blu-ray/DVD release of his controversial 2010 release, “Miral,” based on the novel by Rula Jebreal about a Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the Arab-Israeli conflict. — blogs.indiewire.com
Little Tokyo Design Week: Future City (LTDW) celebrates the power and energy of cutting edge design and technology now emerging from Japan and its intersection with current trends materializing in Los Angeles. Design’s ability to move us towards a more sustainable and creative urban lifestyle is at the heart of this four-day festival, which will be open to the public from July 14 – July 17, 2011 (VIP Preview Night: 7/13). — ltdesignweek.com
If you're in or around Los Angeles from now until Sunday night, and aren't afraid of a little carmaggedon, make sure to come check out the really fun line-up. I'll be presenting at the Pecha Kucha event on Saturday night along with Pecha Kucha founders Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, local... View full entry
It seems unlikely, however, that Mr Ai will be allowed to take up his post in Germany in the near-term. Speaking from his studio in Beijing, he said that he had accepted the position when it was offered two months ago, but that the conditions of his release from prison at the end of June stipulate he has to remain in the Chinese capital. — telegraph.co.uk
On the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the National September 11th Memorial will open to the public. This event marks the end of a process that began with an international design competition that yielded 5,201 submissions from 63 nations. — gothamgazette.com
Quebec tent designer Maurice Monette thinks he has the solution to Haiti's housing crisis in his prototype home of foam and aluminum dubbed The Human — vancouversun.com
"I want something that will work in the culture of my country," he said. "I don't like foreigners bringing ideas that are not right for my country." Haitians who viewed the house loved it. Boulos calls his development "The Dignity Project" — bringing jobs and proper homes to his people, as... View full entry
